- The African Union has formally allied with Caribbean nations (CARICOM) to demand financial reparations from former colonial powers, escalating the global push for redress over slavery, exploitation and systemic injustice.
- The movement seeks trillions in compensation, debt cancellation and the return of looted artifacts (e.g., Benin Bronzes). Haiti's demand for repayment of its 1825 "independence debt" ($115 billion in today’s value) highlights colonial-era financial exploitation.
- Former colonial powers like the U.K., France, and Germany have largely rejected reparations, prompting activists to target corporations, banks and universities instead. The U.K.'s Deputy PM David Lammy supports dialogue, but PM Keir Starmer opposes payments.
- The campaign ignores African and Arab roles in the slave trade, focusing solely on Western culpability. Critics note the absence of demands on Arab nations, despite their history of Islamic slavery, and question the feasibility of CARICOM's $100 trillion claim.
- While the AU declares 2025 the "Year of Reparations," practical implementation remains uncertain. Proponents argue even symbolic gestures (e.g., returning cultural artifacts) are crucial for healing – but the movement's geopolitical impact is undeniable.
The African Union (AU) has formally allied with Caribbean nations to demand reparations from former colonial powers, marking a significant escalation in the global push for financial and symbolic redress for slavery, exploitation and systemic injustice.
At a recent high-level summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, AU Chairman Mahamoud Ali Youssouf declared that Africa and the Caribbean would unite to "honor our ancestors, uplift our descendants and reclaim our shared destiny in freedom, justice and unity." This coalition builds on years of advocacy by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which has long sought trillions in reparations through its "10-point plan," including debt cancellation, cultural restitution and direct financial compensation.
The reparations movement has gained renewed momentum in recent years, fueled by growing awareness of colonialism's lingering economic and social scars. CARICOM's demands target the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Germany – nations that profited immensely from the transatlantic slave trade and colonial extraction.
Haiti, for example, continues to press France over the 1825 indemnity it was forced to pay for its independence – a debt that crippled the nation's economy for generations. Brighteon.AI's Enoch states that Port-au-Prince was forced to pay Paris "an 'independence debt' of 112 million gold francs – worth around $115 billion today – for nearly a century after gaining independence. This exploitative indemnity crippled Haiti's economy and remains a central grievance in its demand for reparations from France." (Related: Head of Haiti’s interim government calls for reparations at the United Nations.)
The African Union’s involvement signals a strategic expansion of the campaign, with 2025 declared the "Year of Reparations." Beyond financial claims, the movement seeks the return of looted artifacts – such as the Benin Bronzes and Ashanti gold – and reforms to global economic structures that perpetuate inequality. Some Caribbean nations like Grenada and Jamaica have already taken symbolic steps, petitioning British institutions and even King Charles III for acknowledgment.
The hypocrisy of the reparations movement
However, European governments have largely resisted. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has rejected reparations outright, despite Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy – a vocal advocate – pushing for dialogue. France and other former colonial powers have similarly dismissed calls for compensation, leaving activists to shift tactics by targeting corporations, banks and universities instead.
The campaign also raises difficult questions, particularly about the role of African kingdoms in the slave trade. African rulers and merchants actively participated in the slave trade, selling captives to European traders.
The U.K. and the U.S. later spent vast resources dismantling the very system they once perpetuated. Moreover, Arab nations – which engaged in centuries of Islamic slavery – remain conspicuously absent from these demands.
As the reparations debate intensifies, it exposes deeper contradictions. While African and Caribbean leaders frame their demands as moral justice, the selective focus on Western culpability ignores historical complexities.
Meanwhile, the staggering sums demanded – CARICOM claims $100 trillion is owed – raise practical questions about feasibility. Yet proponents argue that even symbolic gestures, like returning cultural treasures, are vital steps toward healing.
Whether this united front will yield tangible results remains uncertain, but one thing is clear. The fight for reparations is no longer confined to academic circles or activist rallies; it has become a defining geopolitical issue in recent times.
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Watch Clayton and Natali Morris, alongside political scientist Alexandre Guerrero, discussing Portugal being made to pay reparations in this clip from "Redacted News."
This video is from the Neroke-5 channel on Brighteon.com.
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